Israel Rocked By Australian Report On Secret 'Prisoner X'

An investigation by the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) has created a stir in the upper echelons of Israel's intelligence apparatus.

ABC reports that 'Prisoner X' — an infamous prisoner secretly held by Israel who committed suicide in 2010 — was a 34-year-old Australian national named Ben Zygier.

If true the report would be a revelation in a story that Israeli and international media have been speculating on for years, while Israel's government has gone to great lengths to keep it hidden.

Israeli paper Haaretz reported on ABC's investigation, but the story has since been removed. Haaretz reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office summoned Israeli editors to ask them not to publish a story "that is very embarrassing to a certain government agency."